Mommy's Little Pumpkin...

Picking Oranges...

On our 12 hour adventure back from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, we stopped over night at Ella's Great Grandaddy's house. He has a fairly large orange grove; although the oranges really are not ready to be picked for another month, we couldn't help but pick and fill two bags full that were pretty ripe. Ella was facinated with her new find...ok, techinically, she's more facinated with putting her feet in her mouth...but she did keep reaching out to pull on all the oranges as we took a walk.
Did I mention she did really great on this long car ride? Granted, I had to sit in the back seat the entire time...and pull out every trick I knew to keep her occupied...but, I have a feeling you do that with older kids too. All things considered, we could not have asked for a better trip! How blessed we feel that Ella was able to meet all her great grandparents that are still alive!

Ella enjoying an afternoon at the beach...

Feeling the sand on her little feet for the first time...

Swinging in a real outdoor swing for the first time...Seeing her first lighthouse...
And feeling the waves of the ocean run under her legs for the first time...

It was a very special afternoon of "firsts" for Ella at Pompano Beach. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a father show his daughter all these new things. I'm not sure I deserve such goodness, but I continue to be thankful for our healthy little girl!